Display window



E5 5 U 28 3% SEARCH R00! June 16, 1953 w, co 2,641,953

DISPLAY WINDOW Filed Aug. 7 1951 Patented June 16, 1953 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE DISPLAY WINDOW Application August 7, 1951, Serial No.240,700

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to display windows and particularly to those ofthe character shown and described in the patents to Brown, No. 1,911,881and 2,003,735 wherein the window consists of one or more curved panesections and associated elements so arranged that distractingreflections are nullified or rendered inconsequential.

The installation of windows constructed according to the above patentshas been found expensive and time-consuming, due to the fact thatdisplay windows vary greatly in height, depth and width and therefore tosecure the desired results, the curvature of the pane installed in eachinstance had to be varied to meet the requirements of such installation.This required the individual molding of each pane in the requiredcurvature, and very often when errors or deviations from the measureddimension took place in the manufacture of the curved pane, the panecould not be used. In short, each pane installed was required to becustom-made" and installed with the greatest of care and skill lest itfail to kill glare and reflections in the required manner.

With the knowledge of these facts, the present invention has for itsobject, the provision of a curved pane adapted for installation and useas set forth in said patents, said pane however, being of such shape sothat it can be installed in various environments of considerabledifference in size and proportions, yet the pane will in each instanceand at normal eye level, eliminate reflections. With an arrangement asabove described, it will be apparent that curved panes of this charactermay be kept in stock, supplied promptly for new installations .or toreplace breakages, with a minimum of delay, also, since all of the panesrequired for different installations are of the same curvature, a singlemold for producing the pane is all that is required.

The invention will be more clearly understood by references to theaccompanying drawing wherein the figure shown diagrammaticallyillustrates a pane curved according to the invention and installed tomeet requirements.

In the drawing, the curved pane is indicated at I, the same beingsupported at its lower end by the inner sill 2 and at its upper end bythe heading 3. The outer sill designated at 4 has its interior surface 5covered with velvet or other light-absorbing material tending todissipate all reflections. The inclined reflecting trough is indicatedat 6, the same being usually surfaced with a satin-finish plasticmaterial or some 5 equivalent material of similar characteristics.

The curvature of the pane I has been developed by curving the glass as aparabola with three radii. The curvature of the upper portion of theparabola, or that part of the curve located between the points shown atl and 8 has the longest radius, or that designated at 9. The next radiusis that which defines the curve in the pane between the points 8 and H),such radius being designated at H. The lower portion of the curve, orthat portion found between the points 10 and I2 is that indicated at 13.

For a, pane having an approximate height of six feet, the longestradius, or that indicated at 9 would be 6'-5".

The second radius, or that indicated at H would be 4 feet, 7 inches. andthe shortest radius indicated at 13 would be approximately 3 feet, oneinch. In the development and installation of a curved pane ofthischaracter, combined with the baille arrangement shown, the optimumsought is complete transparency without reflections when the glance of aperson of normal height, standing before the concave side of the pane,is directed through the pane. With a pane curved as above described asight level of from four feet nine inches to five feet ten inchesproduces complete transparency without reflections, and this in spite ofthe fact that in different installations the pane may be located atdifferent positions in respect to the viewer.

For example, in the drawing the pane shown at I is located at a certainheight and position according to the structure or frame of the windowarranged for its installation. In the position shown at la, it will benoted that the pane is located so that it is farther from the spectatorand that it has been swung so that its upper end is closer to a verticalline extended upwardly from its lower end than is the case with the paneshawn at I. wherein the upper end is much farther forwardly of its lowerend.

In the pane installation shown at lb, the pane has been swung about ahorizontal axis to position it differently from the pane shown at I andat Ia. As I0 is shown an installation wherein the pane has beenlowered'and positioned with its upper end located forwardly to asubstantial extent. The installation shown at Id is a slight deviationfrom that shown at I.

In the several positions of the pane, and which positions and manyothers are required by various din'erences and variations in windowframe construction, similar viewing results are obtained when athree-radii pane of the character described is used. That is to say,that despite the changes in position of the curved pane, nonreflectingresults at normal eye levels will be obtained. It will thus be apparentthat a universal curvature is present, capable of permitting a pane ofthe same bend to be installed to suit conditions and still appearinvisible over a large variation of head and sill heights.

In the past, the curved panes had to be designed for each particularjob, requiring the making of full-sized drawing lay-outs and anindividual mold for the bending of the glass, which work usuallyrequired about sixty days. By the use of a pane of universal curve asherein described, a single mold will produce the panes; the panes may beraised or lowered and pivotally moved, within all reasonable limits, tomeet specific installations, yet the pane remains invisible when viewedat normal viewing heights.

It will, of course, be understood that mirrors are arranged at theopposite ends of the glass pane, such mirrors being herein omitted forclarity in description.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that thesame is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover allstructures coming within the scope of the annexed claim.

What I claim is:

In a display window, a transparent pane having a surface of irregularcurvature formed as three sections each having a radius of differentlength, and merging imperceptibly into one another, the upper portion ofa pane having a height of six feet, being formed with a curve having aradius of approximately six feet, five inches, the second curve beinglocated in the pane below the first curve and having a radius ofapproximately four feet and seven inches, and the third curve beinglocated below the second curve having a radius of approximately threefeet and one inch, the radii of the three curvatures thus decreasing inlength from the upper curvature to the lower curvature, the curvedsurface areas formed by the mentioned radii constituting a continuoussurface formed around a horizontal axis to permit the pane to be fixedin various reasonable installation positions without developingreflections to the observer when viewed from the concave side at aboutnormal eye level.

W. E. MCCORMICK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,911,881 Brown May 30, 1933 2,003,735 Brown et a1 June 4,1935 2,131,875 Hopfield Oct. 4, 1938 2,375,352 Dunipace May 8, 1945FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 324,129 Great Britain Jan. 23, 1930366,393 Great Britain Feb. 4, 1932 395,392 Great Britain July 10, 1933419,569 Great Britain Nov. 14, 1934

